Coming from some of the toughest sections that NYC has to offer, our students do not often have the extra money when it comes to buying anything. Every single day, our students hear that they cannot overcome where they live, and many times they start to think that this is just the life they will have. Most of our student population reside in live-in shelters or foster homes and do not have regular access to basic hygiene products. Rather than letting our emotionally disturbed students become upset over not having access to these materials, we would like to restock our school-based pantry, because our students are regularly seeking out materials they can not buy on their own. As part of our positive behavior support system, our emotionally and learning disabled students can request personal care items through our non-profit pantry named Lillian's Locker. Lillian's Locker exists within our school to eliminate the stygma associated with not having personal care items. No student should be ashamed of coming to school, it is our job as educators to remove this barrier!
My Project
A high percentage of our adolescent emotionally and learning disabled student population reside in shelters and foster homes and do not have regular access to basic needs like food and hygiene products. This project would provide a safe outlet (Lillian's Locker) for students to find the basic necessities they need for survival in their difficult environment. Every student whether it is in our school or not should have these basic rights and with your help, inner-city adolescents will stay clean and will not be ashamed of what they cannot buy. These items would be kept in a discrete location and students can come to Lillian's Pantry on a case-by-case basis to obtain what they need for themselves and their families. Together as a community we can come together and show my students the love that they do not have on a regular basis. Since the onset of the school year (September), Lillian's Locker has fulfilled over thirty-five requests centering around our primarily male student population. Without Lillian's Locker, these students would not have access to these products. While we are pleased to fulfill these requests, these requests have depleted our resources. Together, with your support, we can re-stock our male deodorant within Lillian's Locker. Together as a community we can come together and show my students the love that they do not have on a regular basisGrowing up many of us took for granted personal care items. This is one thing that my students cannot take for granted, and together we can provide these items to my students through Lillian's Locker and show them that there are good people in this world, who are willing to invest in their futures!
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Bukowski and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
